Indies Join PFMA Board of Directors

Brauer, Charley and Rinnier all operate stores in Pennsylvania

1/6/2023

Left to right: Paul Brauer, Tom Charley and Shawn Rinnier

The Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association (PFMA) has revealed that four new members are joining its board of directors, including independent grocers Paul Brauer, president and COO of Brown’s Super Stores Inc.; Tom Charley, VP of Charley Family Shop N’ Save; and Shawn Rinnier, president of Save Philly Stores. Deriece Harrington, director of government affairs at Purchase, N.Y.-based PepsiCo, was also elected.

“What a great way to kick off a new year, welcoming these respected and active members of the food retail industry to our PFMA board of directors,” said PFMA President and CEO Alex Baloga. “We thank Paul, Tom, Deriece and Shawn for their dedication to the association and look forward to benefiting from their perspectives and expertise.”

Brown’s Super Stores is a growing 12-store supermarket chain operating under the ShopRite and The Fresh Grocer banners and part of the Wakefern Food Corp. cooperative. In collaboration with Philadelphia community-based organizations and nonprofit programs, Brauer has worked on job training programs and placement to give ex-offenders a new beginning when re-entering society.

The Charley family operates three Shop N Save stores, and Westmoreland, Pa.-based Charley grew up in the food industry, working alongside his brother, Mike, and father, Ray. He serves on the government relations committee for the National Grocers Association and is on the advisory board for the Shop N Save group, an 80-store grocery chain based in western Pennsylvania.

Rinnier owns and operates 20 supermarkets, 13 of them in Pennsylvania across Philadelphia, Delaware and Montgomery counties, and western Pennsylvania, operating under the Save A Lot and GreatValu banners and catering to underserved residents.

Camp Hill, Pa.-based PFMA is led by a 37-member board of directors comprising retail and associate members. The volunteer group shapes the association’s agenda. Members are elected to unlimited three-year terms.

Keasbey, N.J.-based Wakefern comprises more than 40 members that independently own and operate 360-plus supermarkets under the ShopRite, Price Rite Marketplace, The Fresh Grocer, Dearborn Market, Gourmet Garage and Fairway Market banners in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. Together with its member companies, Wakefern employs nearly 80,000 people. The company is No. 25 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2022 listing of North America’s top food and consumables retailers in North America. Earth City, Mo.-based Save A Lot, with more than 850 stores in 32 states, is No. 60 on The PG 100.